Gas burner apparatus



United States Patent Edward 11. Perry Parma, Ohio;

John P. Mackin, Jr., Fairview Park, Ohio; Kenneth J. Harwood, Cleveland, Ohio 722,622

April 19, 1968 Sept. 8, 1970 American Gas Association, Inc.

New York, New York a corporation of New York {72] Inventors [21 Appl. No. [22] Filed [45] Patented [73] Assignee [54] GAS BURNER APPARATUS 9 Claims, 14 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 126/39,

43l/328,43l/278 [S 1] Int. Cl. F246 3/04 [50] Field of Search 126/39;

Primary Examiner Edward G. Favors Altorm'y-Howson and Howson ABSTRACT: A gas-range top burner apparatus in which the burner is located beneath the range-top heating area and comprises radiant burner means spaced about a chamber beneath the heating area and communicating therewith, the radiant surfaces of the burner means facing inwardly of the chamber and generally opposing each other so as to produce intense heat in and above the chamber. In one form, portions of the radiant surfaces of the burner means are subject to substantial contamination by spillage from above, and are positioned so as to be radiantly heated to incinerating temperatures by other portions of the radiant surfaces which are protected from spillage, thereby to provide self-cleaning. Preferably the interior of the radiant burner means comprises vertical or slanted porous ceramic tile surfaces supplied with gaseous fuel at their outer sides so as to be heated to radiance by gas combustion at their inner surfaces, the upper portions of the ceramic tiles being protected from food spillage by an intervening spillage shield, and the temperatures produced at the contaminated radiant burner surfaces by the uncontaminated radiant burner surfaces are high enough to cause incineration of the contaminating material and thereby provide self-cleaning. The burner configuration may also be used advantageously in applications in which the burner chamber is closed off from the source of contamination by glass or the like.

Patented Sept. 8. 1970 3,521,199

FIGI.

INVENTORS EDWARD H. PERRY. JOHN RMACKI JR.

KENNETH J. HARWOOD Patented Sept. 8, 1970 Sheet 2 of 4 FIG.6..

IN llllll INVENTORS EDWARD H. PERRY JOHN P. MACKIN,JR.

KENNETH J. HARWOOD WW ATTYS I INVENTORS; EDWARD H. PERRY- JOHN P. MACKIN,JR. KENNETH J. HARWOOD ATTYS Sheet FIGIE.

GAS BURNER APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIQN This invention relates to gas-fired burner apparatus, and especially to such apparatus which is suitable for use as a top burner for cooking purposes.

Gas-fired top burners are known in which the radiant surface of a flat porous ceramic radiant burner is disposed horizontally below the heating area of a range top and a glass plate is mounted over the radiant burner. The glass plate serves to protect the radiant burner from spillage of food products while at the same time permitting transmission of heat from the radiant burner to a cooking utensil supported in the cooking area above the glass plate by means of a suitable metal grate. Such an arrangement can be made quite compact, and presents a unique and pleasingly-neat appearance. In such known apparatus, the glass plate is typically shaped to provide a vent path around its periphery for combustion products of the burner.

While such arrangements are operable and suitable for certain purposes, they are generally limited in certain respects. For example, the glass tends to reduce the heating efficiency and increase the thermal inertia of the burner system. If the glass is removed, the thermal efficiency is improved and the thermal inertia reduced, but the horizontal radiant surface of the burner is directly exposed to spillage from above, which can readily spread over the tile surface and, by cooling down the burner surface and/or by blocking the relatively small gassupplying pores in the ceramic, can readily extinguish most of the combustion. For example, water spilled on the radiant burner surface typically will cause the wetted area to cool and to cease glowing until the water has evaporated, which typically requires a number of minutes. Food products such as molasses or cheese falling onto the radiant surfaces will cause a more permanent blockage ofthe pores in the ceramic, which requires a careful and difficult cleaning operation to enable subsequent proper operation of the burner. Even when a glass plate is used above the radiant surface, if an opening is provided adjacent the plate to vent the combustion gases then there remains a possibility of deleterious contamination of the radiant burner surface from above.

In addition to the above-described limitations of the previously-known radiant range-top burner, the maximum rate of heating which can be produced by such a horizontal radiant burner is limited for any given range-top heating area by the rate at which a radiant burner surface of the corresponding size can generate heat. Furthermore, such radiant burners are typically limited in their turn-down capabilities, i.e. in their ability to produce controllable rates of heating not only at high but also at low rates.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide new and useful gas burner apparatus.

Another object is to provide such apparatus which is capable ofcleaning itself ofcontaminants.

Another object is to provide such apparatus which is capable of providing an increased rate of heating ofthe area above it.

It is also an object to provide a new and improved gas range top burner of the radiant type.

A further object is to provide such a gas range top burner which is capable of delivering heat at an increased rate to a heating area directly above it.

Another object is to provide such a gas range top burner which provides incineration of spillage from the heating area above it.

A still further object is to provide a new and useful gas-fired radiant top burner which is adapted to be utilized effectively in a closed-top range construction.

It is also an object to provide gas-fired burner apparatus in cluding a radiant burner and supplementary gas-burner means for enabling operation at low heating rates.

In accordance with the invention, these and other objects are achieved by the provision of gas burner apparatus having radiant burner surfaces facing inwardly of a chamber beneath the heating area. Preferably the arrangement is such that each portion of the radiant burner surfaces susceptible to contamination from above is positioned so as to be heated by another radiant burner surface sufficiently to incinerate the contaminating material. For example, in one preferred embodiment the apparatus may comprise pairs of opposing, vertical, porous-ceramic, radiant burner surfaces, inwardly-facing with respect to the combustion chamber, the members of each pair directly confronting each other across the chamber. In another preferred embodiment at least some of the radiant burner surfaces may be slanted upwardly from the vertical to direct more of the radiation upwardly toward the heating area.

Preferably the burner apparatus is mounted beneath, and communicates directly with, an open heating area on the top of a range, and appropriate shielding is provided so that at least the upper portions of the radiant burner surface are shielded from contamination from above and hence are always operative to incinerate contamination on other portions of the burner surfaces. With this construction, food spillage from a utensil situated in the heating area may contaminate portions of the radiant burner surfaces, but is rapidly incinerated by the action of the uncontaminated portions and thereby automatically and quickly removed so that normal burner operation is quickly resumed. Furthermore, because of the increase in radiant burner surface obtained with this construction relative to the burner diameter, a greater rate of heating can be achieved in the heating area than with the above-mentioned horizontal radiant burner.

In a preferred form of the invention a supplementary gas burner is provided near the center of the radiant burner chamber and supplied with gaseous fuel through the open bottom of the burner chamber so as to provide a wider range of heating rates for the entire burner apparatus, particularly at the lower heating rates where it may be used as a simmer burner.

The above-mentioned partial shielding ofthe radiant burner surfaces may be provided, for example, by a peripheral lip at the top ofthe burner which overhangs the interior sides of the radiant surfaces, or by means of a shielding conduit which extends from the heating area to within the top portion of the burner apparatus and preferably is thermally insulated from the supporting structure ofthe range.

Preferably also the burner apparatus is open ended at its bottom so that most of the spillage passes through the burner chamber to a conventional collecting surface beneath the burner. This also provides a convenient opening for introduction ofa simmer burner and/0r ignition apparatus.

The basic burner apparatus of the invention is also usefully advantageous in applications in which the heating area is closed, as by a glass plate, so as to form a so-called closed-top range, in which case a separate flue vent conduit to a remote venting point is preferably provided for the combustion products of each such burner. In this case the incinerating capability of the burner is not utilized, but instead its capability of providing a high rate of heating for a small range-top heating area is exploited.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES These and other objects and features of the invention will be more readily understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a gas range embodying burner apparatus in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the range of FIG. 1, showing in detail one species of gas burner apparatus in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the manual control for the burner of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of another embodiment of the inven tion;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along lines 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along lines 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along lines 9-9 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of another preferred form of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a section taken along lines ll1l of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a plan view, partly broken away, ofa gas range illustrating a modified application of the gas burner of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along lines l3l3 of FIG.

12; and

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along lines 14-14 of FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Considering now the embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings by way of example only, FIG. 1 illustrates a gas range suitable for home cooking having the usual horizontal metal top surface 10 and four top-burner apparatuses I2, l4, l6 and 18, all supported on the range frame. Each of the four burners may be substantially identical, and hence only one will be described in detail, and is shown enlarged in FIGS. 2-4.

The burner apparatus is of the atmospheric surface-combustion type, and comprises a generally cylindrical gas manifold 20, supported in any suitable manner on a suitable supporting bracket 22 secured to the range frame. An upstanding cylindrical tube 24, externally-threaded at its upper end, is affixed at its lower end to the center of the bottom of manifold 20, an aperture 26 being provided through the bottom of manifold within the area bounded by tube 24 which, as described hereinafter, provides a drain for food spillage. A tile support 27 of generally-hexagonal cross-section and provided with upwardly-extending parallel inner and outer hexagonal flanges 28A and 288, respectively, defines between these flanges a hexagonal track for receivingand supporting the radiant-burner ceramic tiles to be described hereinafter. The lower end of tile support 27 is provided with a bottom closure member 29 having an internally-threaded circular aperture the threads of which engage with those of the tube 24. A plurality of stiffening ribs 30 may be provided on the undersurface oftile support 27 to lend it additional rigidity.

Mounted in, and upstanding from, the hexagonal track in tile support 27 is an integral ceramic-tile radiant burner assembly 32 comprised of six rectangular porous ceramic tiles such as 33 cemented together at their edges. The bodies of cement which bond the tiles together are of any conventional high-temperature cementitious material. Preferably the lower surfaces of the tiles are bonded in position on the track by the high-temperature cement 42 disposed within the abovedescribed hexagonal track.

The top edges of the ceramic tile assembly 32 are held within a generally-hexagonal top plate 46, provided on its lower surface with a generally hexagonal track defined by downwardly-extending inner and outer flanges 48 and 50, respectively. The upper ends of the tile assembly may be cemented to the lower side of top plate 46 with a conventional high-temperature cement. Top plate 46 is provided with a peripheral outwardly-extending circular flange 54, and an annular high-temperature gasket 56 is disposed between flange 54 and the inwardly-turned upper end of manifold 20 to provide a gas-tight seal. A horizontally-extending lug, such as 58, is mounted on each of the six outerside-faces of the tile support 27, each lug being internally threaded to receive a corresponding screw such as 59 which extends through the top plate 46. A conventional grate is positioned on the upper sur' face of the top plate 46 for supporting cooking utensils and the like.

Gaseous fuel and primary air are supplied to the mainburner manifold 20 from a mixing chamber 60 by way of a conventional venturi tube 61. A simmer burner 62 is mounted the simmer-burner supply line 64. The main gas supply line 66 supplies both the main burner and the simmer burner by way of a manually-adjustable valve 68 having a control knob 70. The valve 68 is preferably of such nature that, upon turning of the knob 70 in one direction from the OFF position, gas is first supplied in increasing quantities to the simmer burner 62 until it reaches its full maximum heating rate, after which further operation of the knob begins to supply gas to the main burner in increasing quantity. Because main burners of the porous ceramic tile type are generally limited in their turn-down characteristic, the auxiliary simmer burner is desirable for operation of the entire top burner at low heating rates.

A pilot burner 72 and an appropriate gas-supply line 74 may also be provided in an upright position within tube 24; alternatively, an electric igniter can readily be disposed in the same location to ignite the simmer burner, which in turn serves to ignite the main burner.

A conventional removable drip pan 78 is disposed beneath all of the burners so as to collect spillage arriving from the top cooking surface by way of the aperture 26 in the bottom of the manifold 20. As is usual, the drip tray may be removed through the front of the range for cleaning. The aperture 26 in the bottom of the manifold 20 not only serves as a drain for spillage, but also provides secondary air for the simmer burner 62 and, in certain applications, is helpful in supplying additional secondary air for the main burner.

Porous ceramic tiles suitable for use as the tiles 33 are well known in the art. One type thereof is disclosed in US. Pat. No. 2,775,294. Typically the pores comprise cylindrical apertures each about 50 mils in diameter, about 200 apertures to each square inch of surface; a typical thickness for the tile is onehalf inch. The tiles are constituted so as to withstand very high temperatures of operation, typically of the order of I750 F. With such a burner, after initial warm up, the flame is confined very closely to the surface of the tile opposite that to which the gas-air mixture is supplied, so as to be scarcely visible from the exterior, and heats the tile surface to red heat so that it is highly heat-radiant. The substantially enclosed chamber and confronting arrangement of radiant tile surfaces enhance the high-degree of heating within the chamber and the high rate of heating of the cooking space above it, without requiring a forced draft.

1 Should spillage occur from the top heating surface into the burner chamber, spillage materials will tend to burn off from the vertical tile surfaces, and excess spillage will drain through aperture 26 to the drip pan 78. In addition, the overhang 48 provided by top plate 46 tends to shield at least the upper portions of the radiant burner surfaces from spillage; accordingly, they remain active as radiant burner surfaces, and any spillage remaining on the lower portions of the burner surfaces, and on other surfaces within the burner chamber, are incinerated due to the heat produced by those burner surfaces which remain active. This incinerating action is enhanced by the confronting relationship of the walls of the burner chamber, by means of which contaminated wall surfaces are subjected to strong heat radiation from generally-opposite active surfaces. Accordingly, the diameter of the burner can be made relatively small thereby conserving space and increasing the heating efficiency, despite the fact that spillage contamination of the burner surfaces may then occur, since the spillage is automatically incinerated and does not have to be removed by elaborate and difficult cleaning procedures.

Extinguishing of portions of the flame by low-viscosity and volatile substances such as water is in large measure due to the cooling effect exerted on the ceramic surfaces, and is corrected quickly since only thin layers of contamination are readily boiled or burned off. Contamination due to highly viscous materials such as molasses may require somewhat longer times before the incineration process frees the tile pores of the viscous contaminant, but the times even then required are typically only of the order of a minute. During incineration, flames will sometimes be evident rising upwardly from the burner chamber; however, for all normal spill overs, the flames traveling upward from the burner and around the pan or utensil in the cooking area will be similar to the flames produced in a conventional gas range top burner, and present no additional problem in this respect.

It is also noted that, in contrast to the usual gas range top burner, substantially uniform heating is produced over the entire top cooking area, including the central portion thereof which in the usual top burner is cooler than the surrounding portion directly heated by the flame. Thus more uniform heating of the bottom of pans is provided by the arrangement of the invention.

It is also noted that a greater heating rate is obtained, as well as greater efficiency, as compared with a horizontal ceramic tile radiant burner, for a given diameter of burner, since the maximum heat output increases with area of radiant burner surface, and the area of radiant-burner surface provided in the burner of the invention is very substantially larger than that of a flat horizontal burner of the same diameter.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 9 differs from that shown in theearlier figures primarily in the use of a spillage deflector pan and in the use of upwardly-slanted tiles on one pair of opposite faces of the burner chamber which directmore of the radiant heat directly against the underside of the utensil in the cooking area; in addition, the simmer burner is inserted along the vertical central axis of the burner, rather than from the side.

More particularly, the gas and air mixture for the main burner is supplied by way of two venturis 100 and 102 connecting with main-burner manifold 104 on opposite sides of the burner, an arrangement which has been found to provide somewhat better distribution of the fuel mixture. The simmer burner supply pipe 105 extends entirely below the burner and then upwardly at right angles through a central aperture 108 in the burner bottom plate 110 and through an aligned central aperture 112 in the tile support bracket 114. The tile support bracket 114 is in the form of a flat-topped, slant-sided rampshaped channel member extending part way across the width of the manifold 104, and appropriately secured to the bottom plate 110 thereof. Support bracket 114 is sealed to the bottom of the manifold 104 so that the main burner fuel is confined within the communicating compartments 115A, 1158, 115C and 115D which extend adjacent the four sides of the generally-square manifold on the exterior sides of the four tile members 116, 118, 120 and 122, respectively.

The support bracket 114 is provided with a pair of oppositely-slanted tracks 126 and 128 into which fit the lower edges of upwardly-slanted tile members 116 and 118, respectively. Tile members 120 and 122 are upright, extend the full height of the burner, and are held tightly against the ends of the slanted tiles by means of brackets such as 130 and 132. Appropriate hightemperature cement may be utilized to seal the regions of contact between the four tile members and to form an enclosed central burner chamber 138 surrounded by radiant-burner tile surfaces. The upper ends of the slanted tiles are held in the corner formed by the side of the manifold 104 and the top plate 139 thereof, the latter plate also serving to clamp the vertical tiles in position. It will be understood that conventional ignition means (not shown) may be utilized to ignite the simmer burner, which in turn will ignite the main burner.

The ceramic tiles maybe similar to those described with reference to the embodiment of the previous figures, being provided with transverse cylindrical apertures so that, when fed with a gas-air mixture from the outer sides thereof, they will provide a flame which is confined closely to the tile surfaces facing the burner chamber and produce heating to radiance thereof.

It will be understood that controls similar to those shown in FIG. 2 may be utilized to control the simmer burner and the main burner.

In this example a turned-up annular edge of the range top surface shown at supports a high-temperature thermallyinsulated ring 152 from which a generally frusto-conical annular spill deflector 154 depends by its outwardly-extending upper rim. The lower, inner end of the spill deflector has a diameter somewhat less than the smallest inner transverse dimension of the tile assembly in the burner below it, so as to protect an upper portion of the slanted tiles from spillage.

Spill deflector 154 becomes very hot due to the heating effect of the burner directly beneath it, and spills thereon will also generally be rapidly incinerated. The thermally insulating ring 152 serves to prevent transmission of excess heat to the range top 150, so that spillage on the range top will not be heat-hardened and can be easily wiped off.

Without thereby in any way limiting the invention, the following exemplary values of operating conditions for the burner shown in FIGS. 6-9 are provided in the interest of definiteness. The overall input rate to the burner may be 12,000 BTUs per hour at four inches of water-column manifold pressure using natural gas, 10,000 BTUs per hour for the main burner and 2,000 BTUs per hour for the center simmer burner. The main burner may be turned down to approximately 5,000 BTUs per hour, while the center simmer burner may be turned down to about 500 BTUs per hour. Cold-start efficiency using a standard aluminum pan for the cooking utensil, and with the burner not preheated, is about 48 percent in the particular example shown.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, again there are employed two main-burner supply venturis 200 and 202, and a pilot-burner supply tube 204 which traverses a right-angle bend to terminate in a upstanding portion 206 provided with a drop-in burner head 208, and a main-burner manifold 210 supported from the range frame at 212. A track 214 is formed in the bottom of the cup-shaped manifold 210 for positioning the lower end of the ceramic tile radiant burner, and a top plate 218 is provided for the manifold which not only closes off the manifold but also bears against the upper end of the ceramic tile burner 217 to position it positively. Suitable high-temperature resilient annular gaskets 220 and 222 may be provided at the bottom and top ends of the ceramic tile burner 217 to provide gas tight seals and to take up mounting tolerances.

In this example the ceramic tile burner is in the form of a hollow frustum having its smaller-diameter end disposed downwardly, so that the inner surfaces thereof are slanted somewhat upwardly toward the cooking area; preferably the angle between the radiant burner surfaces and the vertical is less than about 30 to facilitate run-off of contaminants. The ceramic tile burner 217 may be of material like that described previously with respect to other embodiments, and similarly apertured, but in this case readily lends itself to molding as a single piece.

The inner walls of the ceramic-tile burner 217 are disposed within the region directly beneath the cooking area, but are partially protected from spillage by the annular spill deflector 230, which rests on and depends from the edge 234 of the range top 232. The lower edge 236 of the spill deflector is of smaller diameter than the top diameter of the ceramic tile burner assembly 217, so as to protect the upper portion of the radiant burner surfaces from spillage, and to provide a freefall path for spillage before it reaches the lower portion of the burner surfaces, whereby its capability of rapidly running off the steep surfaces is enhanced.

The bottom of manifold 210 is provided with a central opening 240, and is preferably slanted downwardly at 242 toward the opening 240, to facilitate drainage of spillage through the opening. Opening 240 is preferably somewhat larger than the outer diameter of .the simmer burner 206 to permit entry of secondary air for combustion purposes. The usual utensil-supporting top grate 2.46 is also provided, which The tiles may be one-half inch thick and of the known .type

described previously. The diameter of the manifold 210 may be about six inches, and the grate may have an inner-ring diameter of about two inches and an outer diameter of about eight inches. Such a unit will deliver about 10,000 BTUs per hour from the main burner, and 2,000 more from the simmer burner. Controls like those illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3may be employed.

FIGS TIE through "14 illustrate an appii'catiafi'ar aEup type radiant surface burner according to the invention to a socalled closed-top range. In this case the range top 300, provided with a back splash 302, has four substantially identical top burner units 304, 306, 308 and 310. As shown in FIG. 13, each burner unit in this example is the same as that shown and described earlier with reference to FIGS. 69, although it could comprise any of the other forms of the burner of the invention. However, instead of mounting each burner immediately below an open cooking area, each cooking area is covered with a high-temperature transparent cover plate, indicated as 314, 316, 318 and 320 for the burners 304, 306, 308 and 310, respectively. Each such plate may be removably mounted for cleaning, by resting it on a downwardlydepressed ledge such as 324 on the range top 300. Preferably each cover plate is of a high-temperature ceramic-glass composition, several forms of which are known in the art.

Each of the burners such as 308 is mounted from, and below, a false-bottom member such as 328, which is located beneath the range top and forms with the range top separate vent ducts for each burner. Thus the space between the range top and each false-bottom member is closed at the sides and front, but communicates at its rear with the interior of the back splash 302. Secondary air openings such as 340 may be provided in the false-bottom member 328 adjacent the outer sides of the burner. Flue gases from each burner flow through the corresponding horizontal duct into the interior of the back splash, which conveys the flue products to vent openings such as 344 and 346 near the top side edges of the back splash. The back splash 302 is closed except for the vent outlets and the inlets thereto from the four burners, and may be provided with a pair of arcuate deflectors 348 and 350 which assist in guiding the flue products to the outlet vents 344 and 346, respectively.

In the particular arrangement shown, the range top and false-bottom structure is 'made in four sections removable from each other, comprising two U-shaped sections 350 and 352, as viewed in FIG. 12, and a pair of square sections 354 and 356 which fit between the legs of the Us of the other two members, respectively. The two square units 354 and 356 are provided with separate outlets 358 and 360, respectively, by way of which flue products therefrom are directed to vents 344 and 346, respectively. Both legs of U-shaped section 350 vent into the back splash 302 so as to deliver flue gases to vent outlet 344, while the two legs of U-shaped member 352 similarly communicate with vent outlet 346 for delivery of flue products. 1

For best combustion,,each of the burners such as 308 is spaced somewhat below the corresponding glassv plate 318, typically by about one inch. The four top sections-and the back splash may be bolted to each other, or held in a common clamping frame (not shown).

The utensils to be used in cooking operations are placed upon the cover plate. Accordingly, in this example spillage from the cooking utensils is prevented from reachingthe open top of the burners by the glass plates. However, the apparatus has substantial advantages over a simple flat horizontal surface-combustion radiant burner because of the greater degree of heating that can be obtained from the larger surface area of the radiant burner of the invention. In addition, the novel arrangement for providing simple yet effective individual venting of each burner enables each burner to operate independently of the other. While the cold-start efficiency of an arrangement such as is shown in FIGS. 12 through 14 is less than for the open-top burner arrangements shown in the preceding figures, the arrangement is considerably more efficient and faster in operation than is a conventional blue-flame burner in a solid top range, and capable of producing greater heating rates than a simple horizontal radiant burner.

It will therefore be appreciated that there has been provided a new and useful top burner arrangement utilizing surfacecombustion radiant burner surfaces placed in at least partiallyconfronting relationship to each other about a burner chamber beneath a cooking or heating area, which in an opentop range configuration not only provides rapid and efficient heating but also automatic incineration of contaminants, and which in a closed-top arrangement provides advantages in efficiency and rate of heating. A new and useful venting arrangement for a closed top range has also been provided which is particularly useful in connection with the burners of the inventron.

It will be understood that other types of surface-combustion radiant burners, such as wire meshes, may be used in place of porous-ceramic tiles, and that many other configurations of burner surfaces may be used, such as cylinders, pyramids, etc.

Accordingly, the invention has been described with particular reference to specific embodiments thereof in the interest of complete definiteness; it will be understood that it may be embodied in a variety of diverse forms without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Gas burner apparatus, comprising:

gas-fired atmospheric surface-combustion radiant-burner means having combustion surfaces spaced from, and generally opposing, each other to form a central opentopped burner chamber between them;

means for supplying primary-aerated gaseous fuel to the sides of said radiant burner means opposite said combustion surfaces;

a top member defining a heating area above said burner means; and

a simmer burner within said combustion chamber.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said burner means has an opening at the bottom thereof, and comprising a fuel supply conduit for said simmer burner extending through a portion of said opening.

3. Gas burner apparatus, comprising:

gas-fired burner means having a first portion so positioned as to be subject to interference with its operation by contamination thereon and having a second portion so positioned as to remain substantially free from such contamination;

said second portion comprising a gas-fired radiant burner positioned to incinerate contamination present on said first portion of said burner means; and

a range top defining a heating area directly above said burner means, and spillage deflector means positioned between said heating area and said second portion of said burner means to protect it from spillage from above while leaving said first portion exposed to said spillage.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which said burner means comprises a porous-ceramic surface-combustion atmospheric burner having combustion surfaces spaced from, and generally opposing, each other to form a central burner chamber between them, and a top-surface member defining a heating area extending directly above said combustion surfaces.

5. Gas burner apparatus, comprising:

gas-fired radiant burner means having surfaces capable of being rendered radiant by combustion of a gaseous mixture adjacent thereto;

means for operatively supplying a combustible gaseous mix- H wire to said surfaces when said surfaces are uncontaminated, to enable heating of said surfaces to radiance; first portions ofsaid surfaces being disposed so as to be sub ject to contamination by contaminants released above said burner means to an extent sufficient to interfere with combustion at said first portions of said surfaces; second portions of said surfaces being disposed so as to remain substantially free of said contaminants and so as to provide sufficient radiant heat to said first portions to incinerate said contaminants thereon; at least parts of said surfaces being at a substantial angle to the horizontal to facilitate drainage of said contaminants therefrom, said burner means comprising an atmospheric surface-combustion radiant-burner; and

a simmer burner within said combustion chamber.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, in which said burner comprises porous ceramic tiles and said surfaces comprise the surfaces of 

